The Yacoubian Building

The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany
Reviewed by Linda
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As there’s a new Aswany book out in our midst (which I’m yet to read) I thought I’d revisit this review I wrote a few years back about one of Alaa’s bestselling books, The Yacoubian Building, plus a little book-related story too! Egypt has a rich ancient history but it’s modern history isn’t to be overlooked: the days of the British occupation; the revolution of 1952; and the bittersweet changes that have swept over society in the last few decades and generations.

Taking one real Cairo downtown apartment block, Alaa cleverly captures the multifaceted Cairene society (the good, the bad and the ugly) and the contemporary way of Egyptian life. Initially occupied by foreigners, millionaires and the bourgeoise, the high life came to an abrupt end in the 1952 coup d’état when the inhabitants were replaced by military officers and their families. The book portrays many sources of the problems in Egypt, which at the time of publishing under Mubarak (and even now), weren't things to be discussed openly, so I'm surprised that the controversial topics in this book were published without delocalised resistance from the government.

I asked around to find out where this building was located and (bravely) jumped onto the Cairo metro heading to @downtowncairo. Tucked between some shoe shops the once glorious Art Deco building, built in the 1930’s for the Armenian millionaire, Yacoubian, can be found on #talaatharb boulevard. The porter (bawab) thought I was out of my mind when taking photos of the signage in the hallway but I shrugged him off and continued much to the dismay of my embarrassed sibling...😂😂

So if you're interested to know why the heart of the Middle East is the way it is then look no further. Published 9 years prior to the #egyptianrevolution of 2011, it is also interesting to read about several factors that led to the most impressive revolution the world has seen to date and is a cultural lesson which gives the expression "behind closed doors" some extra meaning...